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Astapor
Astapor, dubbed the Red City, is the southernmost of the Slaver Cities on Slaver's Bay. It lies near the mouth of the Worm, north of Old Ghis and one hundred leagues south of Yunkai by a coastal road. Astapor is an old city, but not as populous as Lys, Pentos, or Qarth. It is renowned for the special slaves it produces, the Unsullied. The city takes a tenth of the price whenever a slave changes hands. The Astapori emblem is a harpy: a woman's torso, wings of a bat instead of arms, legs of an eagle and a scorpion's tail. In its talons hangs a chain with open manacles at either end. An old crumbling statue portraying the harpy of Ghis is located atop Astapor's harbour gate. The current state of Astapor is much like it has been in the past. Enormous ancient pyramids overlook crumbling red walls that date back to the days of the Old Ghiscari Empire. Within the walls thousands of slaves change hands daily, under the ever present gaze of the Good Masters. However, a tense political situation develops behind the scenes in this ancient slaver’s city. Two powerful factions among the Good Masters vie for power, and whichever side wins will decide the future of Astapor and perhaps that of all Slaver’s Bay. After all, for centuries the Unsullied have been the foremost mercenary soldiers in Essos, sold to the highest bidder for exorbitant prices. Imagine what would happen if rather than selling these unparallelled warriors, they were used for conquest on behalf of Astapor. City Layout The City of Astapor is separated into seven main sections. The Plaza of Punishment, the Plaza of Pride, the Plaza of Pain, the Plaza of Prayer, the Plaza of Paragons, the Plaza of Profit, and the Harbour. The Plaza of Punishment Located just inside the main gate of Astapor in the southern portion of the City, the Plaza of Punishment is where new slaves enter the city, and walk past rebellious slaves who have been punished or executed, often crucified in the square. The Plaza of Punishment also contains many of the pyramids of less wealthy but still noble Houses. The Plaza of Pride Located in the southwestern portion of the city, the Plaza of Pride is an enormous open slave-market where slavers great and small peddle their wares. In the centre of the plaza stands a red brick fountain with the a hammered bronze version of the Astapori harpy standing in its centre. The Plaza of Pride also contains the pyramids of several prominent slave-trading noble Houses, including House Erdaz. The Plaza of Pain Located in the southeastern portion of the city, the Plaza of Pain contains the numerous fighting pits that the city has to offer, where man, woman, and beast alike fight for their lives in brutal fights to the death. The Plaza of Pain also contains the smaller pyramids of several lesser noble Houses, most notably House Dazhazn. The Plaza of Prayer Located in the western portion of the city, the Plaza of Prayer contains the Temple of the Graces, a mighty pyramid-temple dedicated to the Gods of Ghis where the Green Grace resides. The pyramid of House Raaq and several other more pious noble Houses are located in the Plaza of Prayer. The Plaza of Paragons Located in the very center of the city, the Plaza of Paragons contains the Royal Pyramid in the center where the Good Masters rule from, surrounded by the enormous pyramids of the most powerful, wealthy, and noble Houses of Astapor. The two biggest pyramids in this Plaza besides the Royal Pyramid are of Houses Ullhor and Aihl, who rest on opposite sides of the Royal Pyramid. The Plaza of Profit Located in the eastern portion of the city, the Plaza of Profit contains an enormous market where everything except slaves are sold. It also contains the pyramids of many of the wealthiest mercantile noble Houses in Astapor, including Houses Dazhazn, Ghahnar, and Naznor. The Harbour Located in the northern portion of the city along Slaver’s Bay, the Harbour is where slaves, wine, olives, and a great variety of other goods are shipped in and out of the city. Few pyramids are located in the Harbour, except for the pyramids of a few small mercantile Houses. The Graces Temple of the Graces The Temple of the Graces is a large sandstone pyramid that houses the Graces, priestesses of the Harpy. The Graces are separated into orders, each with its own colour. * The Green Grace - the smallest but most prestigious of the orders, there is only a single Green Grace in each city, as they are the priestesses of prophecy. It is not uncommon for a Good Master to consult with the Green Grace before making any major business decisions, and the Good Masters as a whole will often consult the Green Grace before going to war. * The Blue Graces - called the Healing Hands of the Harpy by the residents of Ghiscar, the Blue Graces serve much as the maesters bearing a silver chain-link do in Westeros. The Sapphire Quarters of the Temple of the Graces is a centre of medicine for primarily the wealthy of the city, but the Priestesses go out into the city on a weekly basis to serve those unable to make the journey. * The Red Graces - the most numerous of the Graces, Red Graces are priestesses of love, fertility, and sex. It is not unheard of for pillowslaves that have gained the favor of a Good Master to be taken in by the Red Graces. Red Graces are consulted most commonly by the wives of Good Masters who are attempting to conceive, and they sometimes grant private “prayer sessions” to Good Masters. * The White Graces - the White Graces are responsible for the day-to-day worship of the Harpy and the other Gods of Ghis. They hold important positions in all religious festivals, and are often of noble birth, but deemed unsuitable for the pleasure palaces. * The Pink Graces - sometimes known as the Graces of the Graces, the Pink Graces serve to support the other organisations in their order, most prominently through recruitment from the families of the Masters of Yunkai, Astapor and Meereen, but also as overseers of the guardsmen dedicated to the protection of the Green Grace. * The Purple Graces - with the exception of the Green Grace, the Purple Graces are the smallest group of Graces. This is because the Purple Graces are priestesses to the slaves. In practice, they perform many of the same functions as the White Graces, except for the enslaved of Astapor, as the slaves are not permitted to attend the same religious services as the Good Masters. * The Gold Graces - dedicated to service of the Good Masters in death as the other Graces are in life, the Gold Graces preside over the funeral rites of the nobleborn of the city, marking them with a vertical band of gold dye from hair-line to chin so that Hlaatep, The Seer knows them to be worthy of his judgement. Timeline of Events * 43BA - In the half a decade following the destruction of Vaes Dothrak, the last of the true Khalasars are hunted down by Sarnori, Qartheen, Ghiscari and Ibbenese scouting parties. * 86AA - The First War for Yaros starts in the latter end of 86AA, with both Astapor and Yunkai fighting for dominion over the small island in Slaver's Bay. The Astapori general Qandan zo Ullhor delivers a scathing victory against the Yunkai'i at the Battle of Silt Bank, and the Red City's rule over the isle remains uncontested for a hundred years. * 179AA - The Second War for Yaros erupts into existence following brewing conflict between the Slaver's Cities of Astapor and Yunkai. As of the start of 179AA, Astapor claimed dominion over the small island between the two cities, much to the ire of the Wise Masters. For the past years, the Wardens of Yaros had started to tax the slave galleys passing by the isle, most of which were bound for Yunkai, carrying prospective bedslaves from the Basilisk Isles. Disgruntled, the Wise Masters of Yunkai hire an army of sellswords, ferrying them to the isle with the Yellow Cities fleet. The ensuring fighting ravages the isle, and results in the destruction of the major settlement on the isle, Vochar. In the end, an agreement of non-aggressive is signed, and both cities relinquish their claim over the isle. * 226AA - The Third War for Yaros fought between Astapor and Yunkai occurs. Having hired Tolosi slingers, the armies of the Red City strike suddenly to cease control of the largely uninhabited isle, and begin to fortify, knowing that their actions would garner a response. When the Yunkai'i arrive a moon and a half later, they do so with a fleet bolstered by the Meereenese, who would prefer the isle to be in the hands of the less militant Yunkai'i compared to the Astapori. When Commander Azhis mo Maar is slain, the Astapori are forced into retreat, and the Yunkai'i claim dominion over the isle. * 244AA - An Unsullied Legion is sent from Astapor to Meereen to join with the invasion force formed by the Great Masters to retake Hazdahn Mo from the Sarnori. The army marches north, arriving at the gates of the once-Ghiscari city, but find that the Sarnori army is nowhere to be seen. The city falls near bloodlessly. * 249AA - Conflicts start to brew between Yunkai and Astapor once again over the occupation of the isle of Yaros. The Fourth War for Yaros starts when Astapori warships land upon the isle, seeking to eject the Yunkai'i settlers lingering upon the isle following the Third War two and a half decades prior. Bolstered by the sellsail company The Three Sails, the Yunkai'i navy manages to throw back the Astapori advance, securing their dominion over Yaros once again. * 265AA - A prized pitfighter owned by the Rhaohl family of Astapor refuses to butcher another slave after defeating him in the fighting pits of the Plaza of Pain, and instead cuts down a pair of Unsullied that are sent to complete the task he refuses to do. When a Purple Grace, the priestesses dedicated to serving those slaves seemed worthy of their attention, steps into the fighting ring and pardons the pitfighter, unrest starts to grow in the city. Claiming that the Graces have no rights to override the will of the Masters, Krazyn mo Rhaohl orders his men to cut down the Purple Grace too, who, undefended, falls quickly to the Unsullied's spears. The incident would spark a series of conflicts that would erupt into war over the next few years. * 266AA - When the Green Grace of Astapor officially declares the House of Rhaohl to be of an unpure heritage following the actions of Krazyn mo Rhaohl half a year earlier, the Houses of Maar and Ghahnar are quick to rise in support of the Good Master. Contrastingly, the House of Aihl and Dazhazn declare support for the Green Grace, who hailed from the noble House of Erdaz. For a moon and half, naught but foul words are exchanged, but violence breaks out in the fourth moon of the year at the Temple of Graces. Over the course of 266AA innumerable petty conflicts would continue, until civil war started definitively when the House of Rhaohl raids and sets the pyramid of the House of Erdaz ablaze when they seek to harbour the Green Grace. Hearing of the ongoing conflict in Astapor, the Green Graces of Yunkai and Meereen denounce the House of Rhaohl, echoing the words of their Astapori counterpart. Noble Houses from both Yunkai and Meereen join the war on the side of the House of Erdaz and the Green Grace. The War of the Graces is considered to have truly begun. * 267AA - The Battle of the Worm is fought to the east of Astapor, between an army of Yunkai'i sellswords and the Unsullied of the House of Rhaohl and their allies. When the House of Ullhor arrives at the battlefield with the strength of their Unsullied army, the Yunkai'i force breaks, and flees north. Following reinforcements from Meereen, Yunkai once more marches south, meeting the armies of Ullhor and Rhaohl outside the walls of Astapor. Krazyn mo Rhaohl is betrayed however, when commander Hazkol mo Ullhor turns on him in the name of the Green Grace. The noble family of Rhaohl is ejected from the city in the aftermath, and flees with the last of their wealth to Hazdahn Mo. * 274AA - The Bedslave Riots started following the death of the Wise Master Graklol na Faez during a training session in the Halls of Silk. The two involved bedslaves are sentenced to death, despite protests that the Wise Master had complained of a pain in his chest before falling unresponsive. Several of the teachers within the Halls of Silk rush in the defence of the bedslaves, stirring conflict. When no change to the sentencing occurs, riots fill the streets around the pillowhouses, and a number of Masters are slain by their bedslaves. The Wise Masters are quick in their response, opting to purge the Hall of Silk in its entirety and acquire new stock from the Basilisk Isles * 287AA - The simultaneous sieges of Sathar and Kasath by a Ghiscari army of sellswords and slave warriors following growing tensions regarding trade through Kasath and Hazdahn Mo result in the disorganisation of commerce throughout the Kingdom of Sarnor. Whilst the cities are eventually delivered from their beleaguers by armies from Gornath-by-the-Lake and Sarnath, the effects of the blockade of the City of Caravans remains felt to present day. * 288AA - The Burning of the Skahazadhan. In response to the huge Ghiscari-funded army of sellswords and slave warriors marching north in an attempt to sack Kasath and Sathar a year previously, the High-King of Sarnath leads the counter-attack personally, bringing with him an army numbering near forty thousand, including eight thousand chariots. They ravage the cities of Mareekai, Ghardaq and Hesh, but cannot break the defences of Meereen. Sacking Hazdahn Mo on their return to Sarnor, they leave a wake of devastation and death. * 297AA - The Slave Revolts of Grazdan the Golden is the most recent in a number of attempted slave revolts, and by far the most successful. Started by a slave in training to made into an Unsullied, 'Grazdan' rallied his brothers in arms to rise up against their masters, quickly liberating thousands of slaves throughout the city. Swarming through the Plaza of Pain, they are joined by a number of pitfighters, who then set the Plaza of Punishment ablaze, granting mercy to those slaves too weak to save. With the City Watch primarily made of slaves, Grazdan and his liberated army march free from Astapor without interruption and go on to start similar uprisings in Yunkai and Meereen. For five moons, the followers of Grazdan the Golden swell in number to nearly twenty-thousand, before they are set upon by a sellsword army hired by the Masters. Two-fifths are slaughtered, the vast remaining resubjugated, but Grazdan's body is never recovered, leading many of the recaptured slaves to speculate that one day, maybe, he may return to free them once more. Category:Slaver's Bay Category:Ghiscar Category:Ghiscari Category:Astapor Category:City Category:Essos